game on brother!  I'm gonna game in my deathbed!  

I think about this a lot, and I'm only 36. I have been playing games since I was 5, and unlike most people who are gamers my age, I have never taken a break. I've always stayed up to date with the hobby, through magazines, podcasts, YouTube, and of course, buying the latest consoles and big releases.

Like you, I'm not too happy with where the industry is going. It's all kind of congealing into one big lump, isn't it? As an RPG fan it's hard to define that genre. Isn't everything an RPG these days? 

I keep thinking about "retiring", by which I mean that I would stop buying new consoles and games, but start playing games out of my huge collection and revisit old favorites. 

I'm very curious though: as a 62 year old gamer, do you find things difficult? One of the things I worry about most as I get older is not being able to even participate in this hobby. I can always read a book or comic, and enjoy movies, but I need skill and reflexes to enjoy games. 

I find things difficult sometimes only because I get pissed off and then start to screw up because I get pissed off. Then my screwing up pisses me off even more. LOL.

No my reflexes aren't what they were but I don't play a lot of games that require them. 

Keep doing what you like to your heart's content.

and I will. :)

Gaming actually almost died out for me when I was younger. I have probably shared this, I think with Snee but there could have been a time where I stopped playing games. However the day I watched a family friend play FF9 changed that. Ff9 renewed my love for video games. I think as long as there is something out that gives you a spark then you will always be gaming. The industry is a mess right now but you still find games that you enjoy being released. Enjoy in it and have fun.

I thought 2016 was an amazing gaming year. The Last Guardian was like playing a Miyazaki film with no dialogue and minimal monologue, Rise of the Tomb Raider has a lot of cool places to explore/puzzles to solve, and I got a crapton of discount and free stuff on my PS4. 

To be fair, I'm not sure I like certain industry trends, but I'm certainly playing more games than ever. 

I do agree with button mashing getting old. I prefer action games to the RPG/strategy stuff others lean toward, but that doesn't mean I don't want strategy or some kind of skill test in them. 

I want Last Guardian because I loved Ico and SotC. I may play the latest Tomb Raider at some point. As long as I'm not paying M$ I'm happy.

PS4 20th Anniversary Edition has all DLC. Only thing that might put you off is the body count. I never played old ones but old fans seem surprised by that bit.

Meant to ask did you ever play the reboot? Phone cut me off. It's usually only $20 for the definitive edition on ps store. 

I have the reboot on a couple of platforms I think. PC and PS3

I hope I can take out a hug section of my backlog by the time I'm in my 60s. 

Newsflash James, ain't gonna happen unless you stop buying games right now. :)

I have a sickness. 

I'm not excited about the large majority of AAA games, but just due to the sheer number of them I still find plenty that I enjoy. I also play alot of indie and B and C-Tier games. I find myself actually wishing that I agreed with people that say that there are no longer many good games coming out, because if that were truly the case then I might actually be able to play all the games that I read about and want to try out.  

The one thing I am scared of about getting older and playing games is my ability to actually play them. I'm only 36, but for years my fingers (and most joints) have ached.  Working a job that is mostly at a computer doesn't help.  My wife also recently talked me into getting a 'nice looking' desk for my computer set-up and the height of it lines up with my chair in just the right way that it hurts my back, shoulders, and elbows to use the keyboard and mouse.  I'll be looking for a new chair soon to hopefully alleviate this. 

Good thing about games today is there are so many of them, and in so many different styles. Yes, the AAA stuff is homogenizing, but there's so much else to choose from. 

I think about quiting gaming every so often. It could happen. I'll be 50 this year. Often I feel like I'm too immature and should stop. Or that gaming takes up too much time and I'm neglecting other things. I especially noticed how games, going open world as they are so much these days, are becoming more and more time consuming. I've been more conscious of managing that time. I'm clearly not going to get to everything or finish everything in a game anymore. I've kind of begun to be ok with that. 

What's better than full sized pandas? Mini pandas.

I've asked myself when I will stop gaming as well. I thought I would after the PS2, but here we are. I'm like you and when I don't find them interesting I'll probably stop, but it seems like there will always be games that will keep me interested.